The King - Shadows of the Past
by ProtectMeCone
Summary: Several thousand years after the Great War, the kingdoms are at peace. However, something is stirring, in the darkness. The sinster figure poisons the lands with horrors, wiping out entire kingdoms with ease. Shadows suffocate towns, dispair darkens the skies. In the middle of it all, lies one boy, one sword, one soul, one past. Part 1 of The King Trilogy
1. Red

Red. Carpets, windows, bed sheets, furniture.

Covered in red

Two men shouting

"No…"

A fight

"Nooo…"

More red. Piercing, glowing white eyes.

"Nooo!"

I woke up with a start, accidentally smashing the wall behind me with a fist. The cracks on the wall quickly spider-webbed out, further weakening the shabby little hut. I put a hand to my forehead and waited, the horrendous thumping in my head sneaking away. "It will come back…" I muttered sadly. I looked back and saw that the oaken wall was dented where I had punched, but it had managed to spring back out.

I grunted and slid out of my bed. I opened my chest beside my bed – it was little shaky, but it is far better than what I tried to make when I had first escaped to the wilds. My polished iron sword was there, along with some battered leather clothing and a stone pick with its handle cracked down in the middle. I scanned the chest again – there it was. Neglected but unforgotten for 3 years, was the battered iron hoe I used to escape the burning villages. My home village. … I stood there staring for ages, then I shook myself out of it.

I donned the leather tunic and took up the iron sword, just in case there were more rabbits. Their hide was the only way I could make some new clothes, which I needed desperately. Suddenly, shouting and screaming erupted on the right, breaking the morning silence of the forests. "Who are they? They will scare off all the rabbits!" I grumbled irritably, striding towards the source. I approached the cliff face and leaned over. What I saw instantly stopped all my grudges.

A tiny girl was desperately holding off some shambling zombies. As I watched in horror, the kid was forced to back away against the cliff-face. Heart pounding, I sprinted through the trees downhill, tracking the zombies. When I was near the girl spotted me, pushed off a zombie and ran crying at me. I had no time to comfort the little one – I gently pushed her aside, raising my sword.

The zombies were rogue, a little more fanatic than the organised ones who tried to hunt me down at my home village. One daring zombie shambled too close, allowing me to kick it in the stomach and slice its right arm off. Wounded but unbroken, the zombie took a swipe at me. I parried the blow and smashed it in the head with the handle, crushing its head in, then pushing the advantage, I severed its spine, its head flying off. The other zombies in the meantime staggered away after knowing who's boss. Yep – they were at least smart enough to know. But smarter than that they will get dangerous. I chased each one and quickly and easily eliminated them, then returned to the kid.

The girl was sitting silently, sucking her thumb with tears in her eyes. She looked as if she was only 8 or 9. Did I know how to comfort a kid? No – very few had come searching for my help, but none was crying. I glanced around awkwardly when the kid calmed down and stated, "Your eyes are yellow."

I smiled and said "uh… gold, in fact. Um… would you… uh, like to stand up?" The girl silently stood up, her golden ponytail bouncing on her shoulders.

"What … uh, is your name?" I asked, feeling like a fool.

"Emma" she whispered shyly.

"Do you know where you live?" I asked, relieved of the fainting awkwardness.

"Altos City" She replied. Altos City? How could an ex-farm boy and now a forest boy know of the stuff?

"Where is that?" I asked, feeling yet again like an idiot. She stared at me as if there was only one city in the entirety of the world.

"Just over there." She pointed with her stubby fingers, about east ways. We walked together through the forests, silently but quickly, as the girl insisted. For a little girl, she knew a surprising amount of knowledge. She even held off the zombies until I came along! But how did she end up here? "How did you come here in the forests?"

Her eyes glistened with fresh tears when she said, "I was with Mrs Marshal when I chased a white bunny. Then it ran away and zombies came after me! They didn't burn" she added quietly. They had helmets, so they didn't burn in the sunlight. I realised someone had given to them, to chase down the girl on purpose. I shrugged the sudden dread off and continued to walk down the forests.

After a while, the forests finally parted and I gasped. In front of me was a huge white wall, made with pure bricks of quartz. With banners and battlements running all across its vast expanse, it was guarded heavily by guards. It was hard to see from here, but I was sure they had thick iron armour. I had never seen such grandiose walls before.

"Who goes there?!" A gruff voice pierced my thoughts. I looked down and realised a guard was pointing at me with his spear. He looked fierce enough to kill me if I moved a muscle. I smirked and remembered how our town guards were nice and gentle. But they were all gone now…

"WHAT ARE YOU STARING AT?!" A shout again shook me out.

"Sorry – uh, Emma here was lost in the woods…" I trailed off. How was I supposed to explain? The guard raised a very bushy eyebrow, staring at me with a fierce eye. I twiddled my thumbs, nervous.

Emma broke the dangerous silence, speaking up, "Mrs Marshal's class from Central Combat School, the name is Emma Hiels." Thanks Emma! I was on the verge of a breakdown as the guard continued to stare at me, but switched gears immediately when he heard Emma. But wait… combat school?

"Emma Hiels? Ah, name's here – off you go, be sure to check off with Mrs Catwols!" he cooed gently. Emma turned and thanked me for saving her life, then trotted off. As soon as she had passed him, the guard spun and turned to me.

"Saved a girl eh? I guess you are not a bad 'un, but I ask again – who are you?" I bit my lip.

"Steve Steelwood, East Blatts Town."

He looked at me with sudden interest. "Blatts Town? It was destroyed years ago! No-one survive that, could tell you. Herobrine rode on them Giants, he did, and crushed it all to dust. You sure about this?"

I gulped and explained, "Yes. I was the only one out of the ruins. Perhaps Notch's Army arrived after I ran into the forests."

He smiled and said, "You are one tough son of a wolf to sneak out of that alive. But can't let you in, boy, can't trust you yet, if you know what I mean. Plenty of sneaky little 'uns trying to get in. Off you trot, but thanks for the help."

I turned on my heels, then the whole ordeal came rushing back to me. Just met a girl. Saved her life, looked at a city and came back. Wow. I could trade that for the monotone forest life any day. But one thought stuck in my mind. Combat School? I had to find that out. Looks like I finally had a goal to set upon. But how could I get through the walls? I needed to scout, but that had to wait. The night was falling.


	2. The Attack

It was the dead of the night. Darkness seeped in from all directions, swallowing everything in its path. But some points of light remained standing, defiant against the crushing shadow. I had laid down the torches around my house to keep the rogue mobs away. _It won't scare away my attackers_,I thought sadly. Those mobs were too smart to be tricked by simple torches. Usually, I had slept soundly and passed the night away, but this night was different.

Someone had given those rogues helmets. To chase down an innocent girl who was too weak to kill. Knowing that a single person in the forests will try to come out to save her. I grit my teeth, crouching next to the door, then looked nervously at my bed, then at the door. They were targeting me, and they knew I couldn't get into the safety of the castles.

I was trapped from all directions. Three sides of my house were cliffs, with nothing but bare rock that lay beneath. The other side, however, was wide open and could allow a plenty of attackers. "Who were these?" I thought loudly. "Why are they targeting me? Me, for all people!" But deep inside, I knew exactly who I was, what I had and why they were targeting me. And I knew they knew as well.

Suddenly, the door flew open, its hinges warping under the sudden force. The bars cracked into useless splinters. Behind it, grinning, was a green skinned monster with beady black eyes. The black spotted the gold, and in an instant the zombie pounced. I leapt up and parried the pounce, carrying his weight lightly and smashing the thing down on my bed. The bed groaned and creaked as the heavily armoured zombie collapsed on the bed.

Undiverted the zombie stood up and smiled again, revealing several rotting black teeth. "We meet again, son of Steelwood! Looks like you have strengthened since I have sent my troops for hunting!" the zombie boomed.

I narrowed my eyes and hissed, "Calverton. Taken you 3 years too long." The conversation was too friendly, too friendly to be friends, to be enemies. We were banes of each other, rivals wanting each other's blood.

"Ah, seems like you have eluded me 3 times, but I have located you again. And this time, I myself have come for the hunt." The zombie said.

"You haven't brought your stupid buddies? Well, perhaps they can't come back from the dead twice." I sneered. I knew his pride was fragile.

The zombie tensed, and growled, "You have been on my list for too long. Your time has expired." Then the zombie unsheathed his sword, made out of diamond and dried blood of its numerous victims. Then it struck, striking out furiously. I defended once, twice, then I crossed our swords, forcing a deadlock. We were so close to each other that I could smell its foul breath, see the decaying skin. I quickly evaluated the position. Calverton was much stronger, had better gear and can see in the dark. I was losing. Time to change the game.

I kneed its guts, but as expected, it didn't recoil. Its nervous system was dead long ago. Instead it increased its pressure, pressing the blade into my skin. With a sharp tang of pain a small bead of red slid down the length of my sword. With a huge surge of strength, I just managed to push it back into the middle. "Nice that you are winning against an iron sword with a diamond sword huh? With fancy gear compared to leather tunics?" I spat, exploiting his pride.

To my hidden joy, its eyes narrowed in contempt and it looked hurt. I couldn't hurt it in the outside, but I knew well enough how to hit it in the inside. Calverton enjoyed hunting and he wasn't going to win without a fight. Calverton bared its teeth and hissed, "You think you can defeat me in a proper duel? Years in the forest have befuddled you. If you so wish a duel, a duel it shall be. But I will make it painful."

Compared to what I had, this was much better. Still holding the crossing of swords, it took off its armour, all of it. I took off my leather armour. Then it switched swords to a plain iron one, slowly backing off into the forests. I followed it, still holding my iron sword high and defensive. We travelled through the forest that way, making it into a clearing.

"Let the duel begin" it announced, customary to a proper duel. Then it ran towards me, surprisingly fast for a decaying body. I was ready for it – with its enchanted armour gone, it was less strong, and only slightly stronger than me. It struck down from high, when I tried to block it, it quickly switched to a swish. I blocked it again – but it was a feint. It allowed the sword to drop and punched me in the face, instantly breaking my nose and dazing me. In that time it had already gained back its sword. I was caught off guard in this new sort of tactic. I staggered back, and it pushed its advantage, slashing and stabbing with such force I could not help but retreat over and over. Now I was with my back against a wall, but I managed to get a strike in and force a deadlock.

"You are going to die, son of Steelwood. I'd like to carve your name into your own skull, along with your parents'. What is your name?" it jeered into my face. But these kinds of moments was what I had been waiting for. 3… 2… 1….

"Sunlight!" I screamed into its face, joyous that the last minute of night had passed by. Calverton looked back and its eyes widened in horror as the sun gloriously stretched its rays to warm up the forest. Too warm, for Calverton's case. The zombie screamed as its flesh melted and burned to cinder. It flashed one look of pure rage at me and ran away, looking for its armour that it had taken off. Pride, sometimes, hurt. And it can be exploited.

I felt my neck. It wasn't too cut up. My nose was broken, but it can be healed given a little time. I whistled as I got back into my home. It was in a wreck, chests crushed and bed scratched. But I'd trade that for my life any day.

I grunted and lifted the bed, dumping it outside. Under the bed, kept safe and sound, was a sword of shining metal. It wasn't iron, gold or diamonds. It was of every colour, flashing brilliant colours, every colour of the rainbow, every colour of nature, every colour of fabric. I picked it up and carefully slid it on my back, securing it with a rope of grass. It hummed as it if was alive, as if it was glad to be with me. I hid it under leather and took inventory of myself. I had provisions for a long day's travel.

I jumped down and exited my hide out. It had served me for so long, so faithfully, but sadly, today was the last day of its service. I saluted to my house – it was crazy, but I felt compelled to do it. Then I turned around and soldiered on. I looked at some cobblestone, my only compass. I was heading north east. And perhaps, hopefully, I was heading to a home.


	3. The City

It turns out, it wasn't a long day of travel at all. I had only travelled a few chunks when I came to a clearing. I spotted it, and decided it was a place to stop and eat some breakfast, when I noticed a boy. And then a girl. Then lots of boys and girls. Then they stopped like me. Stopped and stared, with huge saucepan eyes. I stared back. The stare-off continued, with more and more spectators on their side. I felt like I was an attraction, a thing to just gaze at. Even a female teacher, who came last to round of the stragglers, stopped and stared.

Finally, one voice shattered the stare- off. "Steeeveee!" It was familiar, but I could not put a finger on it. I looked around for the source. A girl with golden hair, a flaxen plait resting on her shoulder, was pointing at me from the crowd. "Emma?" I croaked. The teacher smiled awkwardly and ushered off all the children. They still strained their necks to look at the weird teenager who had just bursted out of the forests. When the teacher had come back, Emma was jumping up and down and hugging me.

The teacher squinted and asked, "Are you… her brother?" It was clear we were different, but by the way Emma reacted, it was fair enough that the teacher thought it was a family re-union.

"No, it's just I saved her from rogue zombies last night." I explained, struggling from Emma's tight grip around my thighs. Not so rogue I thought inside. But they didn't have to know that yet.

The teacher then looked at me curiously. "Golden eyes…" She mumbled, and then her eyes widened, swelling with tears. Wait, what?"Oh my god!" she exclaimed dramatically, "You are the one who saved my son!" I fumbled through my memories. I had rescued children wandering around in the forest lots of times, but it was purely out of politeness, and it was easy. Some were even scared of a half beaten pig! Plus, I didn't have to deal with them trampling crops.

"I wouldn't exactly called that 'sav –"I was broke off when even the teacher had hugged me, so tightly I had to use all my strength to keep from suffocating. I was bewildered by the sudden behaviours of affection. Was saving a child or two that big of a deal? When the two people finally let go – plus a few tears – the teacher cried, "Come inside, quick! You are a mess!" She took my hand and tugged on it hard – and I was compelled to follow.

The children, equally surprised their teacher had cried in front of them, followed, Emma flamboyantly leading their way. I was soon brought by the gate walls, the very same gate that I had led Emma to. Or Emma led me to. The guard's eyes widened. Was it eye-widening day? What was wrong? "I know you aint a bad un! Have they been lost too?" he exclaimed.

"No, no, no. This young boy is the city hero! Now – come on, let us in!" the teacher exclaimed impatiently. The guard fumbled his keys then opened the gate.

Inside the gate was the most amazing sight I have ever set my eyes upon. Rows upon rows of white. White houses, white churches, white blacksmiths (which was humorous). It stretched beyond my sight, fading through the horizons. And everywhere, Minecraftians and Testificates alike, bustled in and out of shops, markets, everywhere.

Sitting in the middle of the spectacle, the crown jewel was a magnificent castle. Smooth bricks of white upon bricks of white was laid perfectly aligned, its design so artfully composed, the flags flying high, its windows wide and yawning to the sunlight. It was so shiny, such a model of the sun itself. It was like heaven embodied on Earth.

Or maybe I was over-reacting. The kids thought I was, gazing at me as if I was taking interest in a piece of dirt. But I, I was dazzled. I looked down, my neck sore from all the staring. "This way, please!" the teacher said excitedly. I didn't need instructions. I was pulled on by such force by the teacher I had no choice but to just follow her. Anyway, I had no reason to distrust her – we were all fighting the Corrupt right? The Undead, the Corrupt and – I shuddered, the Herobrine. Something about him seemed to impress me so deeply I shuddered whenever I heard the name.

I shook my head and saw where we were going. STRAIGHT TO THE CASTLE! Bewildered, I almost tried to run away. Straight up meeting the king of the city I never knew of. This had got to be a dream. I shook my head, pinched myself and then shook my head again. All the way to the castle. It didn't do anything – it was REAL.

Well, it did make the kids look at me strangely. Finally, after walking hurriedly to the winding streets, we stood at the gates of the castle. There were at least 20 gate keepers, just standing there and watching everyone pass by. Then all at once, their heads snapped to our direction – just snap like that. All together, they watched like sentinels and tracked us coming. It disturbed me – actually, it scared the soul out of me. Was this even legal?

Disturbing or not, the teacher fearlessly walked up to one of the guards and whispered to him. The guard's eyes got bigger and bigger, then stared at me. Now that was even creepier. "In!" the guard barked at his fellow members. Then they stopped staring, and simultaneously taking out keys, they inserted each one into separate locks. I wolf whistled in admiration. That was damn impressive of a performance. All in perfect order. The teacher pulled me up and I was again, forced to enter.

Inside was as perfect as the outside. Adorned with gold, lapis and diamonds, it was back-dropped by the purest of whites. I looked down and it was carpet – not just any carpet, but a carpet made out of GOLDEN THREADS.

I thought back to Blatts town. The finest material was quartz – and it had to be the jewel of the mayor. Small piece of polished quartz was the only thing that was even CLOSE to a gem. Then it struck me. All this beauty… was made out of pure greed. The king had horded the finest gems and sucked them all out of other towns, put it in his castle wasting it on carpets and decorations. Such a barbaric beauty. I grit my teeth and took a firmer determination on my mission.

But for now, I was under the king's honour and had to obey anything the king of the city laid down upon me. We finally reached the jewel adorned king surrounded by knights – or creatures of armour plating and strength. I looked at them – their very strength was seeping through their thick armour and radiating around them. They looked intimidating, even buried under their helmet.

The teacher suddenly collapsed – or that was what I thought. The teacher was KNEELING. KNEELING BEFORE A KING. "I thought that was banned since the Wise King's reign." I muttered fiercely under my breath. My guts were burning with shame, but I followed and kneeled down.

"Welcome stranger – to the beautiful city of Altos. Now, what is your name and where are you from?" The king boomed in an I-am-so-much-better-than-you-voice.

"Steve Steelwood, from Blatts Town." I said quietly. The king gasped slightly, but quickly regained his authority.

"Blatts Town? The accursed town destroyed by the Shadow 3 years ago? It cannot be!" he exclaimed. I bit my lip and thought about it for a moment. It was true I escaped before anyone can see me – that way Herobrine thought I was dead. But reappearing and telling the truth will allow Herobrine to know I was not dead. Or did he already know? Either way, telling lies will eventually be discovered – or a team's loyalty to a leader relies on transparency. "Come on, speak up my child." The king urged.

I finally spoke, "Your Highness," and my guts wrenched again as I lowered myself to unforgivable standards, "I assure you I was in Blatts Town – though I was alone in the woods and was able to escape." I told them a half truth. They didn't need to know too much yet. Too much truth will make enemies.

"Hmm-mm. sure… well, we have no orphanage of this city, nor do we have anywhere for the homeless – I am deeply sorry, but I am afraid there is no place to stay in Altos City."

He was about to dismiss me when the teacher spoke up, "Dear Your Majesty! Do you remember the young prince mentioning golden eyes?" I looked up at the king and the king gasped – and did not try to hide it.

"You saved my son!" he exclaimed. Positively screamed. He too, was going in a fit – it seems as if half of him wanted to sit and half of him wanted to hug me. But the more disiplined self took control and he sat, pondering. There was a long silence, with only the sounds of the king occasionally muttering, "Ah!" but then going over that quickly with "No, no no." I, uncomfortable of the silence, spoke up,

"Your Highness, I have heard that there is a combat school in the city."

As soon as I finished, the king comically jumped up and exclaimed, "That's it!" but looked around awkwardly, smiling almost apologetically. "Ahem," he corrected himself, "I have found a place for you to stay. I hereby bestow upon you the permit to stay in the City of Altos for a prolonged period of time, and a permit to use the facilities of Central Combat School of Altos in whatever way you wish."

My heart sprung. Catapulted from abandoned in the woods to staying in Combat School. Perhaps things build up over time – even good things. "Thank you, Your Highness." I wholeheartedly thanked. The teacher muttered in delight, as if she was excited to have a new pupil. The teacher turned to me, urging, "Come on, the children are waiting. Anyway, welcome to Altos City!"


	4. Author's Note 1

**Hey guys! Assault Rookie here, the author of this story.**

**So far, I have published 3 chapters in the story, as you can see.**

**The above 3 are for just a taste of the story, so as to give you an idea of how the story is going on.**

**That's why I published those 3 in rapid succession. The later installments won't come as quickly.**

**I will probably post them out bi-weekly, but if I am late in updating I will always double-update.**

**Also, I am just going to list some brief acknowledgements before the story gets any further.**

**Writer - AssaultRookie**

**Primary Editor - Brandon_Nish, hobbyist writer and editor.**

**Assistant Editor - Void_Keeper, casual reader/editor.**

**Inspirators - Brandon_Nish, Harry Potter Series, other books, several historical figures...**

**I also wish to allow you to look into my works before the editing, if you want.**

**The site in which I post them is in****here****, currently containing about 8 chapters including the above 3.**

**You are always welcome to review and suggest. You can even help me with the editing if you'd like!**

**Don't be afraid to PM me about anything, and you are even welcome to submit a character you think should be added.**

**Anyway, that's enough for now.**

**Thank you, and enjoy!**


	5. Combat School

Central Combat School of Altos. One thing about it, it was humble and proud at the same time. Built in cobblestone and stone, its ancient walls still stood strong and sturdy. It was not tall, perhaps only 20m up, it had a complex underground chamber. On the outside, it looked like a normal, small timer school whose manager liked the walls cleaned every day. On the inside, however, was whole lot different technology. The walls were lined with iron plating, all shining as if it was all freshly minted. The floor was a mixture of assorted carpets, but thankfully it was not made of gold.

A cheery bell rang and students poured in and out of oaken doors, which creaked and groaned under the torrent of people. I looked curiously at them. They were half-mob or humanoid mob, only peppered with a few humans here and there.

One particular, one of deep purple eyes and tanned skin, strutted up to me. "Hello, are you new?" he said friendly, but was met by a stern "Go to your class" by the teacher, and we walked on.

"This way, my dear." the teacher directed. I looked up. While I was gazing around the school we had walked up to a dark brown door with a golden lettering emblazoned upon it, "Dr Walter Emerald." The teacher cautiously knocked it. "Come in" said a deep, boring voice.

The door was opened and sitting behind a desk was a tall Testificate. They had a large head for trading and sciences (which was the only thing they were good at) and an abnormally large nose. They had their arms folded inside their cloaks all the time. "The tradition." they called it. This one in purple robes was no different, except for a giant green spectacle rested on his nose. "Humph. New?" he asked. "Yes, he has the King's permission to stay for free." she replied, and the Doctor grunted in disapproval. Seemed as if he also had a cut from the income. "Well, better test you out." he said, gesturing me with his head to another room. I turned to the teacher, thanked her for being such a good guide, and followed the Doctor in.

Inside was all sorts of different equipment, which I guessed was for "testing me out". The Doctor directed me to stand in places and measured me in all sorts of different ways, using various jigs instead of his arms. "Good one here," he mumbled, looking at me as if I was an interesting specimen.

He turned around and grunted things out aloud as he jolted features of my body down, "Human, 13 years of age. 170cm, classified as tall. 52kg, classified as light. Not muscular, thin. Several scars around the body, especially on arms. Striking feature – golden eyes."

Wow, so I WAS a specimen. Did he really have to say stuff aloud? He face me and directed me in all sorts of tests again, this time my capabilities, like strength and agility. "Very fit overall, classified as A." he mumbled again, "Passed all tests with exceptional performance. Yes, yes. Definitely A. Never seen ones like those." I sat uncomfortably. It was almost like a lab, something that tested every student and categorised them.

In the final phase, he asked me a hundred different questions, called "Social Capabilities Test". Most were hard to answer, almost like "Which do you like better, your Mum or you're Dad?" In fact, there was even a question exactly like that! The doctor finally glanced up at the clock and turned to his paper for the final report. "Socially awkward, will sustain problems adapting. Plausible that student have only recently contacted with others. Orphaned. Willing for battle, brave, but no bloodlust. Firmly rooted for the Light. Unlikely to Corrupt. Acceptable leadership skills." After several hours of testing, he finally directed me outside.

"Okay, you are going to Mr Yater's class. Fortunate that you have only missed a few days of education. Take a sheet from far right, third row, and 16th left. Will have timetable. Go quickly." he urged. I quickly thanked him, ducked out, clutching the frail sheet of paper tightly to my chest. Mr Yater's?

I looked down at my sheet. Inscribed in bold, blazing letters were "Mr Yater's A class, along with a map of the school and a time table of various classes. As I looked down, I saw that it was tight packed with all sorts of training, with the school finishing at about 4pm. I looked back up at the map. To my surprise, the current position of the class, Gym 3, was blinking. They must have enchanted the paper! I wolf whistled, impressed, and hit the road. The school was much bigger than it looked on the outside, but it only took a few minutes to get to Gym 3 because however designed the school liked long hallways and a clean and tidy map.

As I approached the gym, I saw it was a wide open cavity without decoration. Light was flooding from the glasses above to the stained clay below. A man, tall and dressed in a ragged shorts and sweaty shirt was standing in the doorway, greeting the students who trickled into the Gym. He was a human who had a balding, silver hair and looked like he was well into the 30s, but had rippling muscles and his legs were as thick as my head. Well, I was thin for my age, so I guess that wasn't too big at all. But still, I could tell you he was one man not to be messed with. I cautiously walked up to him – it was always alright to be cautious of strangers.

However, he melted away all my anxiety by raising his rough hand and ruffling my hair. My neck bent slightly under the accidental pressure. "You new?" he said with excessive friendliness. "Yes, Steve Steelwood." I said courteously. The teacher gestured towards the door and I complied and walked in. Inside was a rowdy group of kids, all running around and lightly punching each other.

One particular kid stood out from the rest, among the about 20 kids that jumped around. The one with the purple eyes. I only saw him a little while, so I didn't have a close look at him. I got closer and I noticed he was probably a half-Enderman. Enderpeople's physiology was a lot like humans, and some of the enderpeople came back from the Void. So Minecraftians and Enderpeople all kind of integrated easily.

Surprisingly, some Mobs chose to run over to the Light, and some Minecraftians decided to like them. I won't go into details of how they were born, but now there were some half creepers (a lot of creepers came over to our side for some reason). Some were even fully mobs, but humanoid. So, we were a really weird, mushily integrated race. But if there was one common thing it was that we were all protectors of the Light.

For a quick check, I looked him in the eye. The boy didn't falter, but stared back. Good, because a lot of Enderpeople were quite uncomfortable with eye contact, and sometimes it got excessive. The boy smiled uncomfortably and looked away. Okay, well, he was half enderman after all.

He was about my height, being a bit short for a half-enderman, but tall for Minecraftians. He had black hair and a shock of white hair. He looked lean, skinny but tough. To think, he was actually quite a lot like me, except for the hair (mine was brown), the eyes and he was missing the scars I had all over my body. One I was especially proud of was when I killed a giant as I escaped my town, but one trap accidentally sprung and gave me a scar on my right arm. A scar all the way from shoulder to hand. It was lucky I managed to grab a potion on my way out.

The teacher sounded a trumpet call. Literally. He, out of nowhere, pulled out a trumpet and called out to the students. They stopped immediately, freezing like stone in their spots. Then people started rushing towards the centre. By the looks of it, it was a race. I was about to start sprinting when I heard a cry and a dull thud. I turned around to see that one boy, very thin and grinning maliciously, tripped the purple eyed one. I pulled him up. He looked positively scared. I quickly took my bearings. If it was so important to go to the centre, to trip one another and be scared to be late, then there must be some punishment. "Come on," I urged, pulling him by the arm, "hurry up!" Some students already in the circle laughed at the comment. "It's last one 50 sit-ups!" one girl squealed. 50 sit ups? I did 100 every day! Judging by the looks of the boy who was crazily anxious at my side, he couldn't.

I dragged him towards the centre and lightly kicked his back to push him in. The teacher raised his faded eyebrow. I automatically got into position and did my duty, all the kids goggling at me. When I finished the teacher laughed. "Here's one that really needs applause! Ha – Brendon needs to consider himself lucky!" he said gleefully. Brendon, it was his name then. He stood, silently staring at me. An enderman stare.


	6. Allies

He continued staring at me when the teacher barked, "Right! Time to practice your combat skills from this week! Light sparring, 1v1. Greg starts the pick." I recognised Greg as the kid who tripped Brendon. The faces on everyone told it all, he was hated. Except for a particular group of burly boys who kept on smiling. I was starting to get a grip on their social hierarchy. Wolves and rabbits. And a squirrel that is backed up by the wolves. Then Greg's pale eyes locked onto me. "Let's try you out, newbie." At this comment, the group of boys howled with laughter.

The teacher pulled out 2 wooden swords out of a box and threw it to us. "To the sparring circle – light sparring, 3 rounds, winner is one who stays on his feet." I walked to one side of a round circle of blue clay, holding the sword tight. Out of the corner of my eye, I saw Brendon tracking me intently. "Start!" the teacher barked again. Greg screamed and rushed at me. I stood there, waiting carefully, waiting for an opportunity to strike. And there were plenty – this boy wasn't trained, swirling his sword up in the air like a madman. Whatever he was taught, he ignored it. Let's teach him a lesson. When he got in range, I dropped my sword, ducked down and head-butted him squarely in the chest, easily winding him and knocking him off. The whole crowd laughed, the teacher laughing with them at Greg squirming on the floor. "Didn't even use the sword. Must be a school record this, round one goes to Steve!" he announced.

Greg backed off, now glaring at me with burning hatred. He didn't even need the start signal – he pounced on me, sword raised. He was determined to rip my guts out. All the better – I parried his blow then elbowed him hard on the chest again. Pushing my advantage, I feinted to the right then smacked him on the face with the sword. Greg staggered, but stood on his feet. He regained his senses and swooped in again, attempting to feint against me – but I noticed a slight dilation in his eyes and ignored his feint, this time kneeing him in the chest. That got him off his feet. With a thump and a cloud of dust, he was truly beaten. I turned around to walk out. "Steve wins the match! Now who wants to start the second –" he was broken off by a furious scream, another scream then a dull thud. This all happened in 3 seconds. Surprised, I spun around to see Brendon standing over a cowering Greg. "One who attacks from the back should be punished." Brendon growled, followed by several whooping from the crowd. "Right – taking you," he gestured towards Greg, "to the medic's wing. And you," pointing at Brendon, "are not going to be punished. Yes, one who attacks from the back must be punished. Everyone will stay here until I get back." he announced, then pulled Greg's arm uncaringly.

"What happened?" I murmured. The squeaky girl I recognised as the one who announced the punishment chittered excitedly, "Oh my god, did you see that? Brendon just charged at him – out of the crowd! Just smashed into Greg. Never seen fights like that…" and off she went. It was more than obvious she was talkative. I finally pulled out of her grasp and tried to find Brendon in the commotion. He was standing by the doorway, calmly watching the other people from afar. I approached him, thanking him. "No worries. He broke the school rules, now he going to pay for it. Should've done that long ago" he replied coolly. I pulled out the sheet of paper I had in my pocket and opened it carefully. "Next class: archery." I announced. I was surprised when Brendon blushed. "Yeah, it's my favourite class," he stated, and his tanned cheeks continued to redden. I looked at him curiously, but then Brendon looked away, his cheeks crimson. The kids ceased movements as time passed on, then hardly talked, hardly moved except us two (and the squeaky girl). Perhaps the teacher was famous for being strict? The teacher arrived with a red face, and an annoyed look. "Right, move on – the class is finished" he snapped at the staring kids. His voice sounded hoarse, probably from all the shouting.

And so we were marched off to archery class. Brendon kept blushing on the way, and sometimes I felt like I was on my own, even though he was walking right next to me. It was clear that I didn't have a chance to talk to him. Instead I took out the piece of paper and examined the other classes. There were some like "Improvisation" and "Battle Tactics", much more advanced than that of the class we left, named "Combat Basics" as if screaming out "Greenhorn! Newbie!" to everyone who attended it. We finally reached the archery range, wide and open in the woods. The only thing that kept it from wild animals was a frail fence. Or a pack of angry zombies. I thought grimly. The teacher here was a tall and lean lady dressed in a long green skirt. According to the time table, her name was "Mrs Marshalls". Yep, as soon as she saw me, she went into an affection overload. She ran straight towards me and hugged me tight – and yes, in front of other kids – and treated me like her own son. As soon as this ceremony finished, she sat me down and Brendon whispered, "She your aunt?" I almost laughed. By the way she was acting, she looked a lot like Emma before I came to this school. "No, she just has a lot of emotions." I said, hardly containing my mirth.

The class continued as usual after this, except she took a tendency to talk to me than other kids. She was quite emotional and active in her teachings, flapping her arms around as she spoke. She often missed a lot of the burly kids' mishaps. For example, a one of the gang loudly compared her to a chicken, but her voice was way too loud to be heard by her. Perhaps it was a consequence of teaching younger kids. It was finally initial skills test, after the long and winded version of how to use a bow. I often hunted rabbits with my father, and had a basic grounding. As I hefted it and aimed my weapon,

I looked at Brendon, who took up the range next to me. He obviously had trained before! His posture was same as my Dad, sturdy and accurate. Even the teacher bounced her eyebrows in admiration. But his skills weren't as good. Arrow after arrow, they flew wildly, as if unwilling to fly, unwilling to hit the target, and hit the haystacks behind the target. Then I saw it – his eyes weren't concentrated on the target! What kind of archer would do that? He kept on glancing on my direction and blushed. Wait – it wasn't at me – I followed his gaze and looked sideways.

Right next to me was the prettiest girl I've ever met – that is, I've never met more girls than I could count with my fingers. She was short, with a short, curly dark-brown hair that just touched her shoulders. She was wearing a green top and a brown skirt, which reminded me of a ranger – complete with a green hat with a feather. No wonder why Brendon was love-lost. And her shooting was deadly accurate for a girl of this age – all her arrows were crowded around the yellow-and-red circles. I looked again to Brendon and knew that he was imagining her as a cupid from the skies. I smirked and returned to firing.

In the end, Brandon had a 65% score (surprising for a half-blind shooter), I had 55% and the girl next to me had 100% - she was top, handfuls of others were between her and us, then I was 6th, Brendon 5th. She – whose name was revealed to be Lindsey - was congratulated, almost admired by Mrs Marshall. "If she was born 150 years ago," Mrs Marshall heartily praised, "she would have been working with The Wise King against Herobrine!" As she walked triumphantly back down, Brendon tracked her very carefully, then almost jumped – the girl sat right next to me! Now I wasn't a people person (or a person who didn't meet people for 3 years) and definitely didn't know what made her sit right next to me. Did she like me? That was the worst case – I had to obtain at least 1 reliable ally for my mission, and Brendon looked like the perfect ally – unlikely to corrupt and strong. But if this strange twist of fate played out against me, it could severely cripple the relationship. "Congratulations for 6th place Steve! Who taught you?" she asked.

"My Dad." I was determined to keep things monosyllable.

"Great! Did you go out hunting with him?"

"Yep."

No matter how I tried, she kept up the questions, unyielding to my every polite trick that would divert her attention to Brendon. Surprisingly, Brendon seemed to be immune of jealousy. Or, he could cover it up so well I could not find it. _Well._ I thought silently. _This is gonna be tricky._


End file.
